RAGWORT MENACE
WORK OF SEED-FLY EFFECTIVENESS CLAIMED [bv TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] V ; TAURANGA. Tuesday Interesting comment on the work of tho ragwort seed-fly. which was first liberated on his farm in February of this vear, was made at Tauranga today by Mr. A. A. Eiggir, of Tirau. The fly is the size of a house fly. The grub feeds on th&» ragwort seed for a period of seven weeks. In that time the seed is completely devoured, every ragwort flower-head examined showing 100 per cent destruction. The fly has a life of seven weeks, and during that time lays approximately 200 eggs, only one being deposited on each flower. " Mr. Riggir said that effective work f had been accomplished by the seed-fly. It should make its appearance in about a month, synchronising with the period when the ragwort is ready to burst into bloom. He is hopeful that in time the seed-fly will be sufficiently numerous to enable land-owners to cope with the ragwort menace.
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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23160, 5 October 1938, Page 12
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165RAGWORT MENACE New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23160, 5 October 1938, Page 12
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